Fourth Book: Daphnis and Chloe Lying Together, Third Variant (Daphnis et Chloe couches ensemble, troisieme variante) Possibly 1937

Aristide Maillol made this drawing, Daphnis and Chloe Lying Together, one of several variants, using pen and ink on paper. I’m thinking about his hand moving across the page, finding these two figures in a loving embrace. Maillol made a few series of works on paper to accompany deluxe editions of classical texts. I wonder what it was like for him, taking on this project. It is tempting to speculate on what Maillol was thinking about while conjuring this couple. Perhaps he was remembering a past love, or dreaming of the future. There is so much tenderness in the line, as if he is caressing the paper itself. The contour is so simple, almost child-like, yet so assured, too. Maillol's work is part of a long lineage of artists responding to art and literature, and inspiring one another across time. Painting is this amazing conversation, always open, always evolving. There’s really no final word.